JE Gurley

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In the Middle

by

In A Daze  I glanced up from my keyboard and realized it is almost June, the middle of the year! Time flies when you’re having fun, or even if you’re not. Since I retired to a life of music and writing (Ahh), I keep track of time differently. I go to bed when I’m tired, get up when I awaken(or the kitties get restless), and know what day it is by my desk calendar. Kim goes to Re-fit classes on Tuesday night, garbage is picked up Tuesdays, I meet friends for dinner on Thursdays, re-cycle goes out Thursdays. My band practices whenever we can. We play out on Friday or Saturday night. Kim is off weekends, so we might do something, but most of the time we just relax. Unless an event arises or my wife tells me, I’m not sure what day it is. It could be the first signs of dementia, but I think it’s just that I don’t care any more.

Anything I care to watch on television, and the lists gets shorter each year, I tape to watch whenever I feel like it. I write a while, practice guitar or keyboards, do research for novels, research songs, social media, all in short sessions repeated throughout the day and night. I could be a hermit; I’m not a social animal, but Kim and I interact throughout the day. She works from home, but her day is half over by the time I usually wake up. Afternoons are free for errands or naps. We try and watch some television together, but she’s in bed by 8:30 and rises at 3:00 a.m. to start work.

I never imagined retirement when I was a chef, or any of the numerous other jobs and professions I’ve worked at: lab technician, sales, factories, oil field worker, demolition, trucking, lawn care, etc. Work seemed the be-all end-all. It’s sweet revenge for all the time lost to earning a wage, and then scrambling for recreation on weekends.

June. It seems it was just January. Of course, I live in Arizona. It’s 100 degrees out now. In January it was only 80. I sit at my desk with a view of the Tortilito and Catalina Mountains and the desert. I see bob cats, birds, javalina, roadrunners, pack rats, ground squirrels, lizards, quail, owls, bats, and hawks outside my window. It’s like living on a nature preserve. You can’t beat it, except maybe on a sandy beach with a view of the mountains.

Taking it Easy. I’ve learned to take it easy. Writing or playing music is relaxation personified. It has never been a job. I don’t sweat the little stuff and don’t worry about the big stuff. If I can fix it, I do. If not, worrying doesn’t help. I worked hard to take it easy, and I’m not about to blow it at this stage.

Oh yeah – Time. Half the year has slipped by, mostly unobserved. I’m sure I missed a few things. I remembered my birthday, my wife’s birthday, and our upcoming anniversary. Other things probably slipped through the cracks. I’m cancelling most of the upcoming writers conventions so KIm and I can take a ten-day Caribbean cruise next spring. Small, local events and book signings are still on the planner, but the big ones take time and money I can better spend on a sandy beach, a cruise ship balcony, or sipping on a cold Pina Colada.

June, and my wife, Kim, is already planning Halloween. It’s a big event at our house. Lots of decorations, spiders, monsters, fog machines, lights and eerie sounds. The 150-180 kids that drop by each year love it almost as much as we do. I call it practice for my next novel.

So far, 2017 has been a great year. A new novel out, The Last Marine, two more almost finished, and the band is really cooking. God willing and the NSA or Homeland Security doesn’t come after me for my internet research, the remainder of the year should be just as good.

Summation. Grok in fullness. Live long and prosper. Don’t sweat the little stuff. Eat more bacon. Love one another. Or, don’t forget that life is for living. Use it wisely. It’s the only one you’ve got.

Diamond Days for Diamond Dogs

by

David  Bowie is dead. Even the words are difficult to write.

Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, he died January 11, 2016, just 3 days after his 69th birthday. Of all the musicians who have died over the past few years, his hits me the hardest. Though a more avid fan of his earlier works, I have found a reason to keep him on my list of top musicians and performers from almost every album he released. His passing will leave a hole in the world of music. As a musician, writer, performer, singer, producer, and actor, his life touched many people and changed the shape of music many times.

When I heard first album in 1969, Space Oddity, I was hooked. His lyrics and voice touched my soul as both a musician and a music fan. When he followed that one with Hunky Dory, and then the outrageous The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spidermen From Mars, music was never the same. Her personae and appearance changed with each album, as he reinvented himself and his music.

As if being a performer was not enough, he also produced two other of my favorite groups, Mott the Hoople, and Iggy and the Stooges. In various bands over the years, I have played tunes from Bowie, Iggy, and Mott the Hoople.

As an actor, he appeared in Labyrinth, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Just a Gigolo, and The Prestige.

In 1974 I finally got the opportunity to see him live during his Diamond Dogs Tour to promote the 1973 album. I sat enthralled by his stage presence, sweet voice, and sax playing. There are bands I have seen multiple times – Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Rush, ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen – because they never got old. Bowie was on my much smaller list of groups I saw only once but wanted to see again – Queen, Yes, Bowie. I regret I’ll never have the opportunity to see him perform again.

His 1980’s albums were among my favorites – Young Americans and Let’s Dance. I found more reason to include his songs in my band’s repertoire.

In 1988 he stunned everyone by forming a new band, Tin Machine, intent on playing music without the hype. He succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. I lost track of Bowie during the 90’s until the present, not because I no longer liked him, but because life simply got in the way. As a writer and a musician, I spent less time listening to music and more time writing novels and playing in various bands, always sure to include at least one Bowie song in the list.

David Bowie has left a legacy that will be difficult for anyone to match. I am 62. In my estimation there are few bands or individuals that can keep my interest, is spite of their critical acclaim. No matter what they might do, David Bowie was there firstest with the mostest.